Lieutenant Colonel Ian Warren says he never used the words to describe
Corporal Anne-Marie Ellement, who claimed she was raped by two male
colleagues

Corporal Anne-Marie Ellement had alleged that she was raped by two fellow RMP soldiersPhoto: INS

By Agencies

1:42PM GMT 07 Feb 2014

A senior Army commander has denied calling a military policewoman a "problem child" after she claimed she was raped by two male colleagues.

Lieutenant Colonel Ian Warren said on Friday he never used the words to describe tragic Corporal Anne-Marie Ellement, who was allegedly bullied and was found hanged two years after she made the allegations while she was stationed in Germany.

A three-week inquest into the 30-year-old soldier's death heard on Friday from Lt Col Warren, who was the commanding officer of her Royal Military Police regiment.

He said Cpl Ellement's welfare was his "primary concern" in the aftermath of the rape allegations but he did not "micromanage" subordinates who dealt with the aftermath of the claims.

The coroner has heard Cpl Ellement was bullied by colleagues – including Corporal Sarah Noteyoung, the girlfriend of one of the men she had accused of raping her in November 2009.

Cpl Ellement was later transferred to Bulford barracks in Wiltshire, where she was found hanged from a fire escape on October 9, 2011.

Lt Col Warren interviewed Cpl Ellement in the days after she made the rape claims and told the inquest it was a "very complex situation" as he was responsible for her, the two accused soldiers and Cpl Noteyoung – who lived in the same corridor as Cpl Ellement.

Cpl Ellement was allowed to return to her accommodation in Sennelager, Germany, two weeks after the alleged rape in November 2009 and was not allowed her request to transfer to Bulford until March 2010.

The inquest has heard she suffered ridicule and bullying from Cpl Noteyoung, Corporal Charlene Pritchard and others living with her after Army investigators dropped its probe into her rape claims.

Lt. Col. Warren said he was aware of a complaint Cpl Ellement had made about being bullied in January 2010, but said he didn't take any action because there was no evidence.

The Army's Special Investigation Branch decided in January 2010 not to prosecute the two rape suspects.

In the days that followed, Cpl Ellement got drunk and was seen having sex with a soldier in the grounds of Sennelager camp, the inquest heard.

Lt. Col. Warren said he was "concerned" and called a meeting with her which was partly to discuss disciplinary action with her over the matter and partly to check on her welfare.

In the event, he decided not to discipline Cpl Ellement, he said.

The inquest heard Lt. Col. Warren allegedly referred to Cpl. Ellement as a "problem child," which he denied.

Giving evidence over the phone from South Africa, he said: "I've heard the term 'problem child' before. It's normally applied when one side or another doesn't understand what the situation is.

"I don't recall that term being used in relation to Cpl. Ellement."

Lt. Col. Warren was asked why he asked Cpl Ellement if she could "move on" from the rape allegations at the meeting they had.

He said: "I was merely trying to establish where she was and if I could help. If I didn't know what her thought process was I couldn't deal with her issues."

Lt. Col. Warren accepted he also asked Cpl Ellement whether "this (career) is for you", but denied he was suggesting she was no longer welcome in the Army.

He said: "That's not how it would have been projected to her. I was giving her every option that was on the table. Everything was on the table for her – everything.

"It would not have come out that way. I would have discussed every option possible for her. I was trying to help her."

Cpl Ellement's family claim she felt alienated by the Army and suffered months of bullying and abuse before she died at Bulford.

Cpl Noteyoung was said to have called her a "slag," a liar and told colleagues she would "make life hell" for Cpl Ellement after she accused her boyfriend of rape.

Cpl Noteyoung admitted to the coroner that she was angry with Cpl Ellement, but never said anything abusive to her face while they lived in the same house block in Germany.

She denied that she ever branded her "the girl who cried rape."

Another alleged bully, Cpl Pritchard – who also moved to Bulford in May 2010 – denied spreading malicious rumours about Cpl Ellement.

However, she told the coroner that she thought Cpl Ellement had made up the rape story and that she shared her opinion with other soldiers.

The inquest in Salisbury, Wilts, is the second to be held into Cpl Ellement's death after her family won an judicial review to hear all of the evidence.

On Thursday, it emerged that police had been informed of an allegation of interfering with a witness giving evidence at the inquest.

Nicholas Rheinberg, the deputy coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, told the court: "The matter has been reported to the police for investigation.

"Should it be the case the culprit is discovered, it's likely that very severe penalties would follow, not only for breaches of the criminal law but also contempt of court and, on the facts being proved, a term of imprisonment would be on the cards."

Meanwhile, the RAF's Special Investigation Branch along with Bedfordshire Police are conducting a new investigation into the alleged rape against Cpl Ellement in Germany.

The suspects can only be named as Soldier A and Soldier B at the inquest.